1 John 5:1-15
Salvation is God’s grace to us. Grace refers to His unmerited favour to us. Grace is an essential part of God’s nature. There’s nothing in us, but sin, that earns us God’s favor. The Bible decreed that salvation is by grace through faith alone and this is His gift to us. We cannot maintain our salvation because we are not simply capable of doing that because of our sinful nature. Maintaining our salvation is God’s handiwork according to Ephesians 2:10. The Bible also tells us that you can be certain of your salvation, and in this regard, there are 4 important lessons that I want to share with you from 1 John 5:1-15.
1. The certainty of salvation is found in Christ alone.
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” 1 John 5:1.
· Salvation requires the placing of one’s faith in Jesus which God grants to us.
· Believing is not as simple as others say.
· “Believe” requires acceptance (or receiving) of all the claims of Jesus in the Bible, which the Holy Spirit helps us to do (see John 14:16-17).
· One must believe in the Person of Jesus as the unique Son of God and accept the redemptive work that He came to do.
Why believing is not enough?
· Satan believed in God, but rejected and opposed everything God has been doing in the world (e.g. Matthew 4:1-9.)
James 2:19, “19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”
2. Shallow belief does not guarantee salvation.
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” 1 John 5:1a
“12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12-13.
· The Bible asserts that being spiritually born is a right that originated from God.
· God requires us to receive Jesus in order to be spiritual born.
What are we to believe and receive from Jesus?
“16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that who-ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17.
· 1st, unlike our sonship, which is a right given to us, Jesus is God’s one and only Son, and this truth we must accept and hide in our heart.
· 2nd, we must believe and accept the fact that Jesus came to be our Savior. And He saves us through his death, burial and resurrection.
· God’s love come to us through Jesus.
· Jesus saved us from our sins, and the penalties of sin, which is eternal damnation.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6.
· The only way to God the Father is Jesus.
· Our moral uprightness cannot save us, nor our religious affiliation.
3. True believers have intertwined faith, love with obedience.
“2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:2-4.
· Faith, love, and obedience are inseparably weaved together.
· Faith, love, and obedience helps remove doubt in our salvation.
4. The certainty of answered prayers gives us confidence in the Lord.
“14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15.
· God assures to listen to all our prayers, and He will give to us everything that is in accordance with His will.
· God actively listens to our prayers because of our everlasting relationship with Him.